Ballad of the Blood

The acclaimed action role-playing game, Diablo, and one of Blizzard’s fastest selling franchises in history selling over $666M when it originally launched, is back and poised to immerse fans into the new world of the Spiritborn. Introducing a villainous new class, powers and battles, the new game, Diablo IV Vessels of Hatred, comes out on October 8.

In a new cinematic focused campaign from Blizzard and agency 72andSunny, “Ballad of the Blood,” viewers follow the journey of the game’s protagonist, Nyrelle as she struggles to fight off the influence of Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred. Through a single longform blockbuster film, the work elevates the narrative of the game by centering Nyrelle’s struggle.

To lean into the entertainment element of the work, the team tapped Hollywood Director, Jon Watts renowned for his work on the last two Spidermans and recent movie, Wolves with Brad Pitt and George Clooney. Shot on site in Thailand, the campaign has the feel of the next big Hollywood blockbuster.

The campaign also features pop star Camila Cabello with a re-record of “Behind Blue Eyes,” amplifying the juxtaposition of the struggle and intense action to bring more meaning to the conflict in the story.

With a priority on longform entertainment, the new Diablo campaign bucks the recent ad industry trend of telling the shortest stories possible. “Ballad of the Blood” is a 2-minute spot that will grab the attention of both diehard fans and lapsed gamers through its cinematic quality. In that time, viewers can see the set-up for the game as Nyrelle is being corrupted by Mephisto via the Soul Stone and the Spiritborn class work to fight off Hatred’s influence across the jungle in the form of various demons.

The campaign launched globally in 30 different markets across, EMEA, LATAM and APAC on premium streaming services, YouTube and Paid Social.